Cooking up a storm

UWS nursing graduate Amina Elshafei first came to public attention as a contestant on Australia's most popular TV cooking show, MasterChef. However, there is a lot more to her story.

Despite the family passion for food, Amina kept her application to MasterChef, the television show which pits amateur cooks against one another, a secret from her parents and sister at first.

Amina quietly applied to become a contestant, not sharing the news with her family until she received a call from a casting agent. After some gruelling selection processes, she ended up being one of the lucky 24 contestants chosen for the 2012 series and was instantly an Australian favourite, thanks to her warmth and humour.

Amina believes her multicultural perspective and her background as a registered nurse were among the main reasons she was selected from so many hopefuls.

"Australia is so diverse and I'm a minute part of it compared to some of the contestants; I brought two cultures to the table," she says.

Amina was five when her parents decided to move from Saudi Arabia to raise their family in Australia. Attending primary school in the multicultural mixing pot of Campsie in Sydney's Western suburbs, she grew up knowing the many faces of Australia.

"Whether it was through the school or community, you had so many nationalities. For my parents, UWS graduate Amina Elshafei first came to public attention as a contestant on Australia's most popular TV cooking show, MasterChef. However, there is a lot more to her story. being immigrants, it wasn't too bad for them settling in because they were able to associate with other Koreans or other Arabs," she says.

Straight out of high school, Amina followed in her mother's footsteps by studying for a nursing degree. She became a registered nurse in 2008 and started a graduate program at the Children's Hospital in Westmead.

In her third year of working as a nurse, she decided to push herself up the ladder and further her education by returning to university to study a Masters of Child and Family Health (Karitane) at the University of Western Sydney, graduating in 2012.

"I'm really happy I did the Masters because it's really opened my avenues for further development, as well as helped to further my career if I choose to," she says.

In 2012, Amina was honoured with the Woman of the Year award at the Australian Muslim Achievement Awards 2012. As a proud Muslim-Australian woman, Amina wore her hijab during her stint on MasterChef, and unexpectedly, had a hugely positive impact on the way Muslims are viewed in Australia.

"It was fabulous winning the award as it emphasised to me the effect as well as the change of opinion I've had in the community," she says. "I never went onto the show to make a statement about being an Australian woman with a headscarf – it was about the food and that was it. "But food has that wonderful effect on people. No matter what culture you're from, bring a great meal to the table and everyone sits around and enjoys it. Food is a great portal to experience, as well as a way to share what you have been brought up with, your cultures, your religion." Even so, Amina says she couldn't quite believe the effect she had on the general population, which was "quite astounding". Amina's experience on the show has also opened up avenues for her in further exploring cooking and the world of food.

She writes a recipe column for The Australian Women's Weekly magazine, mainly featuring food she likes to cook at home, and often hosts popup restaurant nights with her fellow MasterChef contestant, Audra.

Cooking up a storm "I'm really happy I did the Masters because it's really opened my avenues for further development, as well as helped to further my career if I choose to." A major project – her 'big baby' is the cookbook she is working on, a very personal collection of recipes her parents taught her. She is also developing an interactive website for Australians to discuss and share recipes, which will launch this year.

And in between all these foodie adventures, Amina is still bringing her passion to her other great love of working as a nurse. "When it comes to nursing, I'm still trying to improve my knowledge and my development in the clinical setting," she says. "Nursing is so dynamic, there's always something to do and learn."

For more information about Nursing courses or Postgraduate study at WSU, visit Future Students

To find out more about the WSU Nursing Alumni visit Nursing & Midwifery Alumni Chapter

^{Source: GradLife
Posted: May 2013
Type: Printed}